Radio has been beleaguered for even longer than the record business, but even so, these are not small start-up operations; the legal fees, transmitter antenna and studio rent, federal licenses, and ASCAP and BMI fees necessary in order to legally play the music can easily veer into millions of dollars. They have money to spend. But by appearances, they're turning to the likes of 99designs.com for their station identity, or worse (I think), holding listener design contests.

Broadly speaking, radio station logos tend to fall into a few categories. One repeat offender is a direction I like to call Suddenly, Ovals! Circles may pop up here and there, but oh, how radio loves the oval. There's apparently just something about the ovoid that says it's time to get the Led out with another commercial-free rock block in a rich, resonant voice.

KCRW, it pains me to put you in this company, but you've brought it upon yourself.

Lozenges are also popular for some reason:

Perhaps as a direct response to all these rounded shapes, a second category these logos fall into could be called HEY, LOOK, I JUST TYPED OUR CALL LETTERS:

KOST's logo looks like a biohazard warning sign from the underground bunker in The Andromeda Strain. That classic trope, the brushstroked underline, tries valiantly but ultimately fails to suggest that this logo was created by humans.

Even wonderful stations like Philadelphia's WXPN can struggle with the delicate balance between minimalism and genericism. A more vibrant color scheme and I think this could be a winner; at the moment, the dead leaves palette makes me feel as though I'll never be happy again.

Apparently Dunkin Donuts has their own radio station.

In keeping with rock's disregard for authority, these logos would all look totally bad ass carved into a desk.

Many of the above marks, from a formal perspective, can be traced back to Tschichold's Neue Typographie. (Just checking to see if anyone reads these things.)

Outside of these broader categories, the rest of the unholy mess just descends into chaos.

Ben FM and Jack FM follow a format that brags they play whatever they feel like. Unfortunately, they feel like playing what every other shitty station on the planet feels like playing.

If you ever want to break the internet, just post this logo on Brand New and stand back.

Q104.5 looks like it's running for Congress.

Of course there are some well designed radio logos — I invite you to share your favorites in the comments—but these seem to have occured almost by accident, or due to the law of averages. For every WNYC — simple and smart — there's ten of the above monstrosities.

As station after station close their doors, or flail between formats in a frenzied search for success, I can't help but wonder whether anyone's considered the visual side of radio, or recalled Sir Michael Bichard's words: ""If you think good design is expensive, you should look at the costs of bad design."